Heavenly Dao Nemesis

Little Surprises

Brother Lang was still chewing on his roasted chicken leg when Liam finished speaking. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he had just announced his best friend’s impending death. 

After swallowing the mouthful, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief and finally got down to business.

“Fine, fine. Since you want to know everything, I’ll tell you.” He took another bite before continuing. “I went to the Red Spirit Pavilion earlier today. You know the place, right? My family owns several businesses in the city, and I occasionally visit our shop there to check on things. Anyway, I happened to overhear some people drinking in a private room. They were talking about the Mount Sinai excavation and how they planned to kill you there.”

Liam's expression remained unchanged. “Go on.”

“They said they would use a spirit beast as a cover-up. If a beast attacks you during the excavation, nobody will question your death. After all, Mount Sinai is full of dangerous creatures, so who would suspect that someone had deliberately arranged for you to die?” Brother Lang lowered his voice and glanced around before adding, “They even came to our shop to purchase some materials for covering up the evidence. I couldn't hear every detail, but I'm certain they were talking about you!”

Olivia's face paled.

“They really want to kill my brother?” she whispered.

Brother Lang nodded solemnly, then took another bite of his chicken.

Liam, however, suddenly laughed.

At first, it was a chuckle. Then he leaned back against the bench, his shoulders shaking with amusement.

Brother Lang nearly choked on his food. “What are you laughing at? Have you lost your mind? They're planning to kill you, and you're laughing!”

“Interesting.” Liam wiped the smile from his lips. “Since they've already gone to such lengths to prepare everything, I suppose we should plan ahead as well.”

Brother Lang looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

“What plan? Do you even understand what you're dealing with? Brother Chen and his companions are much stronger than you. If they decide to attack you together, you won't stand a chance!”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“It's simple!” Brother Lang declared, raising his chicken leg as though he were delivering a lecture to a crowd. “You should hide! Find somewhere nobody can discover you, and stay there until the excavation is over. If you don't show up tomorrow, they won't have the opportunity to kill you. We can wait until everything settles down before thinking about what to do next.”

Liam looked at him silently.

The suggestion was certainly practical, but it was also the sort of solution someone would offer when they had absolutely no confidence in their own abilities.

Before Liam could respond, a deep voice suddenly echoed across the entire sect.

“Attention, all outer disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect!”

The voice carried spiritual energy, ensuring that every disciple within the outer sect could hear it clearly.

“By order of the sect, all outer disciples are required to participate in tomorrow's excavation at Mount Sinai. Every disciple must report to the designated assembly ground before sunrise. No one is permitted to remain behind without explicit authorization. Any disciple who fails to attend will be punished according to sect regulations!”

The announcement repeated twice, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Brother Lang's mouth fell open.

The chicken leg in his hand nearly slipped to the ground. “W-What?”

Olivia clasped her hands together, her face growing even more anxious. “Every outer disciple has to go?”

Liam slowly rose from the bench and brushed the dust from his clothes. “Well, it seems our plans have changed.”

Brother Lang stared at him in disbelief before suddenly shaking his head. “No! Absolutely not! I'm not going!”

Liam glanced at him. “You're not an outer disciple, so nobody asked you to go.”

“Exactly! That's why I'm going home!” Brother Lang exclaimed, looking like he had just found a way to escape a death sentence. “I'll tell my father that I need to stay at the estate for a few days. He can send someone to explain the situation to the sect if necessary. There's no reason for me to throw my life away just because you offended some people!”

He stuffed the remaining chicken leg into his mouth, then hurriedly wiped his hands.

“Anyway, you should start preparing yourself. If you have any valuable belongings, give them to Olivia. At least she'll have something to remember you by.”

Liam's eyes narrowed slightly.

Brother Lang immediately cleared his throat. “I mean, to remember you by when you're safe and sound, of course!”

“Get lost.”

“Fine, fine! I'm leaving!” Brother Lang turned toward the staircase, then paused to look back. “We'll meet tomorrow, Liam. Hopefully, you'll still be alive by then!”

With that cheerful farewell, he hurried down the stairs, his round figure bouncing with every step.

Liam watched him disappear before shaking his head in amusement.

What an interesting fellow.

Olivia, however, was in no mood to appreciate her brother's friend's peculiar personality. The moment Brother Lang was gone, she hurried over to Liam. “Brother, what are we going to do now?”

Liam turned to her. “About what?”

“About the excavation!” Olivia's voice trembled. “You heard the announcement. Every outer disciple has to go, and you can't hide here anymore. If Brother Chen and the others really intend to kill you, what will happen tomorrow? You're still recovering from your injuries, and your spiritual root hasn't even awakened properly. How can you possibly fight against them?”

She gripped his sleeve, her eyes filling with worry. “Brother, please think of something. We can't just go there and wait for them to kill you!”

Liam studied his younger sister for a moment.

Then, to her utter bewilderment, he burst into laughter. “Ha! Hahaha!”

Olivia stared at him.

Has Brother finally lost his mind because of his injuries?

“Brother, why are you laughing? This isn't funny!”

Liam's laughter gradually subsided, but the excitement in his eyes remained.

“Finally,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I've found a few people I can use for practice.”

Olivia's jaw dropped. “Practice?”

She looked at him in disbelief, it was like he had announced his intention to challenge the sect master.

“Brother, have you completely lost your mind? Those people are much stronger than you! Even if you recovered all your strength, you still wouldn't be able to defeat them. How can you possibly think of fighting them?”

Liam raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was going to fight them head-on?”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Olivia, strength isn't the only thing that determines the outcome of a battle.” Liam's expression grew thoughtful as he glanced toward the distant mountains. “A person who understands his surroundings can defeat someone stronger than himself. Terrain, timing, preparation, and a little bit of ingenuity can accomplish things that brute force cannot.”

Olivia blinked, trying to understand his words. “But they're cultivators. They have spiritual energy, powerful techniques, and years of experience. What can you possibly do against them?”

Liam smiled. “That's something I'll have to figure out.”

He extended his hand toward her.n“Do you have any spirit stones left?”

Olivia hesitated before reaching into the small pouch at her waist. She counted the stones inside, then placed a few into his palm.

“Yes. I still have a few left. I was saving them in case we needed to buy more medicine, but if you need them, you can have them.”

Liam looked at the spirit stones resting in his hand.

There weren't many, but they would have to do.

He closed his fingers around them and gave her an approving smile. “Good. These should be enough to get started.”

“Get started on what?”

“Preparing a few little surprises for tomorrow.”

A mysterious smile spread across his face.

Olivia looked at him, then at the spirit stones in his hand. She wanted to ask more questions, but the strange confidence in his expression made her swallow her words.

Liam slipped the spirit stones into his sleeve and turned toward their room. “Come on. We have preparations to make.”

He walked inside, laughing to himself.

Liam was genuinely looking forward to what lay ahead.

If his enemies wanted to use the excavation as his burial ground, then he would simply have to make sure they regretted ever inviting him.

After all, he had once stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

And although his strength was gone, his brain was still intact.

Tomorrow, Mount Sinai would become a very interesting place.